The Sceptre Of Deception is Falconer’s third release already, since their birth in early 2000. Guitarist Stefan Weinerhall had grown bored with the aggressive metal of Mithotyn, especially with the grunt like vocals and decided he wanted something new. Thus, the Viking metal band Mithotyn ceased to exist, and the heavy metal act Falconer was born. A band that played refreshing heavy metal with Viking influences since day one and this new album is no exception.

The biggest change on this album, compared to its predecessors, is new vocalist Kristoffer Göbel. While many fans are mourning the loss of Mathias Blad, Falconer are not and have moved on. Mathias’ schedule simply didn’t fit with Falconer’s and the only solution was to replace him with someone who was available fulltime. I know many old fans will not like Kristoffer. Why not? Well, simply because he does not have the same unique type of voice as Mathias. On the plus side however, Kristoffer is an excellent vocalist who is accustomed to singing in a heavy metal band, unlike Mathias. In my opinion he does an excellent job, and although he might sound like one in a million, he has nevertheless managed to convince me.

The naysayers among us should listen to the last song “Child Of Innocence”, on which Kristoffer shows his excellent talent.

The music itself continues pretty much where its predecessor left off. The influence of Mithotyn is still prevalent in the music, listen for instance to “Under The Blade”, which sounds like a softened version of a Viking metal song. Stefan has a knack for writing great melodies that are both diverse and catchy, and admittedly these melodies sound better with clean vocals than with rough Viking vocals. My only real problem with this album is that all the songs are pretty laid back. Never does Falconer really show their more aggressive side, and most songs seem to work up to a climax that never arrives.

Falconer has yet again delivered a good album that portrays the uniqueness of this band. The loss of Mathias might have been a set back, but was a deliberate choice by Stefan to move the band forward. Do not mourn fans of old, for now the Falconer is ready to go on tour and support the release of this album.